This course is designed to give the prospective ESL teacher experience
with various types of languages tests, including both traditional and
alternative assessment approaches.  Class time is spent discussing
particular methods of testing language proficiency as well as
measurement issues in general.  Other topics include aptitude testing,
computer-based assessment, program evaluation, and test
accommodations.  In this class, students develop a language testing
instrument which is then administered to ESL learners and subsequently
analyzed from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

Requirements:  The course requires class participation, writing test
items, outside article summaries (25% of the grade), and a final
project (75% of the grade).  The final project is a 10-12 page report
based on an analysis of the class-made language test and on the ESL
students’ performances on that test.

Texts:	Alderson, Clapham & Wall: Language Test Construction and
Evaluation, Cambridge University Press.  Cohen: Assessing Language
Ability in the Classroom, Heinle and Heinle.  Genesee and Upshur:
Classroom-based Evaluation in Second Language Education.  A book
chapter co-authored by the course professors will also be required.